<p >Following the overthrow of the Syrian state on December 8, 2024, the rapid destruction of the remnants of the Syrian Air Force ended a longstanding obstacle to the interests of the Western Bloc in the Middle East, while also eliminating the last major fleet of MiG-23 fighters in the world. Syria was the first foreign operator of the MiG-23, and received its first fighters in 1974, before receiving the most capable variant the fighter, the MiG-23ML/MLD, in late 1982. MiG-23MLs were credited by Syrian sources that year with shooting down three Israeli Air Force F-15 fighters in engagements over Lebanon, and significantly bolstered the country’s position in the air. After <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/syrian-defector-mig23-to-israel-performance" target="_blank">studying</a> a MiG-23ML obtained through a defection later that decade, Israeli personnel made clear their respect for its high sophistication, and particularly its early warning and countermeasures systems. The Israeli test pilot who flew thee aircraft said he was impressed by the fighter’s climb rate, and that after taking off with an F-15 and F-16 the MiG shot upward in a stiff climb “and left them standing.” The MiG-23ML/MLD would prove capable of going head to head with advanced Soviet fourth generation fighters during exercises in the 1980s. It was the third fighter class in the world after the F-14 and F-15 to integrate a look-down/shoot-down radar, the Sapfir-23, providing a significant advantage in situational awareness over most competing fighter classes.&nbsp;</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/03/24/article_67e0c9c2a3f1d1_51146725.jpeg" title="Korean People`s Army Air Force MiG-23ML Fighters Over Kim Il Sung Square"></p><p >Following Syria’s procurement of the MiG-23ML/MLD and its demonstration of the class’ combat potential, North Korea would two years later begin to acquire the aircraft. The country had been among the first to acquire the MiG-15, MIG-17 and MiG-21, but had not received more capable fighters since the 1960s due to a deterioration of relations with the Soviet Union. A warming of relations with Moscow, and concerns in Pyongyang that its fleet was tremendously outmatched by the F-15s and F-16s deployed by the U.S. Air Force in the region, led the country to place orders for the MiG-23ML, with the first eight of the aircraft delivered in September 1984 alongside two MiG-23UB trainers. A total estimated 48 MiG-23ML and 12 MiG-23UB fighters were delivered to the country, and were divided between the 56th Fighter Regiment at Toksan and the 57th Fighter Regiment at Onchon. North Korea was by some estimates the last client for newly produced MiG-23 fighters, with production of the class ending in 1985. Unlike Syria, however, which continued to procure second hand MiG-23ML/MLD fighters into the mid-2000s to build up a total MIG-23 fleet of close to 200 aircraft, North Korea would restrict the fighters to two units, and showed more interest in the MiG-29 which it would produce under license in the 1990s.&nbsp;</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/03/24/article_67e0ca7b5c10d9_19683564.jpeg" title="Korean People`s Army MiG-23ML Pilot Boards Fighter"></p><p >Following the collapse of the Syrian state, North Korea remains the only major operator of the MiG-23, with small fleets in Angola and Ethiopia expected to be phased out in the near future, leaving only a small number of aircraft in Cuba operational. While the MiG-23ML/MLD was significantly more capable than South Korea’s F-16s when procured, with a more powerful sensor suite and a beyond visual range targeting capability, the aircraft are today considered effectively obsolete. South Korean F-16s brought up to the F-16V standard with phased array radars and AIM-120C and AIM-9X missiles today retain overwhelming advantages at all ranges. There has been some speculation that the North Korean MiG-23s will benefit from modernisation of their avionics domestically with some overseas support, which could allow them to integrate the advanced<a href="https://www.38north.org/2022/10/air-to-air-missiles-could-be-the-north-korean-defense-sectors-next-breakthrough-why-it-matters/" target="_blank"> new air-to-air missiles</a> that have been developed in the country. Another option is that the fighters could be phased out of service or relegated to lower tier units as North Korea begins to procure more advanced fighters from Russia. The Korean People’s Army Air Force is <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-realistically-ship-hundreds-mig29-nkorea" target="_blank">expected to receive </a>significant numbers of modernised MiG-29s, with the country also speculated to be <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/expert-russia-nkorea-joint-fighter-units" target="_blank">planning to procure</a> Su-57 fifth generation fighters after North Korean officials <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/future-of-north-korean-aviation-in-russia-kim-jong-un-tours-plants-producing-su-35-and-su-57-fighters-and-sukhoi-airliners" target="_blank">inspected</a> the aircraft in Russia in September 2023. Although the MiG-23ML provided a sophisticated capability for its time, North Korea’s growing opportunities to field more capable fighters is likely to bring an end to prolific third generation aircraft’s time in service.&nbsp;</p>